Thursday, May 23, 2013

Day 6: Making Buenos Aires our Home

From Tourists to Global Citizens

We had developed a routine in Buenos Aires. Our commutes were efficient and free of hesitation, we knew where to get on and get off, the names of all the trains, the order of the stops, and which bus we had to take to get to the daycare. We felt like Porteños (comes from the word "port" since Buenos Aires is a port city).

The plan for the day was to sand, restore, and paint all the tiny chairs and tables in the daycare since they were rusting away. This was a harder task than it seemed.We sanded all the chairs and tables by hand, one by one. We later painted them and left them to dry.

We also made the cutest planters from old tires. We cut them in half, cleaned them up, and painted them vibrant colors. The plan is to mount them on the wall in the backyard and plant useful herbs and flowers for the daycare.

Esteban and Gonzalo began to set the cement in the back while we finished up the chairs and the tires in the front yard. It was so amazing to see how the backyard was transforming from a dangerous debris-filled area, to a safe and fun environment for the children to play in. We can not wait to see what it looks like once we finish! After an amazing work-filled day, we headed home for dinner.

After volunteering, we all decided to explore the surrounding parts of the hostel. Melisa recommended La Continental, which is a famous empanada bakery just three streets away. We walked over and were overwhelmed by all the different options. People in Argentina eat dinner very late, so the restaurant was packed at around 10pm. We all ordered different types of empanadas and ate outside in the chilly, yet refreshing Argentinian night. We are about halfway through our service trip at this point and many of us have gotten used to and learned to love the Buenos Aires lifestyle.

About Me

The Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) program at the College of Natural Sciences is designed to promote the recruitment, retention, and success of women throughout the College. Each May WINS students travel to another country to volunteer together and experience another culture. Our 2012 trip was to Costa Rica and in 2013, 2014, and 2017 we spent 11 days in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since this year's service trip was such a success, we plan to return next year for a fourth trip!